HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-01-18, Page 1VOL. 5 NO. 3 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1989. 45 CENTS
HCBE
to expand
French
instruction
The Huron County Board of
Education has passed a resolution
which will see its French language
instruction program doubled in
Grade 4 and expanded to include
Grades 1 and 2.
Trustees approved the motion at
their regular meeting on January 9
following its lengthy discussion in
closed session the same day.
The goal of the new program is to
make mandatory 20 minutes of
French per day for all public school
pupils in Grades 1 to 3 and 40
minutes per day for all students in
Grades 4 to 8. Currently, students
in Grades 3 and 4 receive 20
minutes of French per day, while
those in Grades 5 to 8 get 40
minutes.
“This has been a very difficult
issue, and I feel that the board has
handled it very well,” said Bob
Allen, Director of Education. He
noted that trustees have rejected a
similar motion in December, 1988,
which would have seen French as a
mandatory subject for all public
school pupils from Kindergarten to
Grade 8.
Mr. Allen added that no time
limit has been set for implementing
the program, explaining that every
board in Ontario is having difficul
ties in attracting qualified French
teachers because of their drastic
shortage. He said that the HCBE
has been actively seeking recruits
for some time, but without success.
The Huron board’s ultimate goal is
to have a French teacher at each of
its 24 elementary schools, a goal
which will require the addition of
six more than are already on staff.
Mr. Allen said that the issue had
been debated in camera because of
its impact on contract negotiations
currently before the board.
Sleeping through ah the excitement, red-haired Trevor William John McArter of RR 4, Brussels, cuddled by his
parents Kim and Gary, doesn’t really care that he was the first baby of the New Year born in The Citizen’s readership
area. Five weeks premature and weighing in at six lbs. eight oz. when he arrived at 3:07 a.m. on January 3, Trevor is the
grandson of Florence McArter of Belgrave and Ron and Shirley Zimmer of Wingham, and the great-great-grandson of
Sarah Anderson of RR 4, Brussels.
It's on to
nationals
for local
skaters
For the third year in a row north
Huron County will be well repre
sented at the Canadian National
Figure Skating Championships
next month, the result of medal
winning performances by two pairs
of local champions at the Divisional
level over the weekend.
Junior Dance competitors Kerrie
Shepherd and Peter MacDonald
placed second to capture the Silver
medal in their discipline at the
Central Canada Divisional Cham
pionships in Sault Ste. Marie
onSaturday, while Kevin Wheeler
and Michelle Menzies placed third
to take the Bronze medal in the
Senior Pairs competition, following
three days of competition. All four
will advance to the National Cham
pionships in Chicoutimi, PQ, on
February 8-11.
Kerrie is the daughter of Joan
and Murray Shepherd of RR 1,
Blyth, Peter is the son of Faye and
Graeme MacDonald of RR 2,
Brussels, and Kevin is the son of
Shirley and George Wheeler of RR
5, Brussels, while Michelle makes
her home in Preston.
In 1987, Kevin and Michelle,
skating as Juniors, placed first at
both the Divisional and National
levels, then went on to win two gold
medals in international competition
before returning to win a silver
medal at the 1988 Divisional in
their first year as Seniors. They
placed fifth overall at the 1988
Nationals, just missing a berth on
Canada’s Olympic team but never
theless skating an exhibition dur
ing the closing ceremonies of the
Calgary Olympics.
Peter and Kerrie also competed
at both the 1987 Division and
National Championships, skating
as Novices, then returned to take a
silver medal at the 1988 Divisionals
and a fourth-place win at the
National level. This is their first
year of competition at the Junior
level.
All four young people are expec
ted to be strong contenders at the
Chicoutimi competition, where
they will be cheered on by both
Kerrie and Peter’s mothers, who
also saw them skate at the Soo. All
four will also appear as guest
skaters at the Brussels Figure
Skating Club’s Carnival at the
Brussels, Morris and Grey Com
munity Centre on February 25,
where they also performed in 1988
before a sellout crowd.
Blyth council proposes meeting to answer developer
A Blyth developer won’t be able
to be given the quick answer to a
series of questions he posed to
village council, councillors decided
at their first regular meeting of the
year Wednesday night. Council will
arrange a meeting, however, to try
to solve the conflicts.
George Szarek appeared before
council protesting an earlier deci
sion of council and Public Utilities
Commission not to allow Ontario
Hydro to put a high-tension line,
currently cutting across Mr.
Szarek’s land in the east end of the
village up the side of Dinsley Street
on village property. He also re
quested a written statement from
council on its willingness to service
lots he would like to develop along
the unopened John St. in the east
end, north of Dinsley.
Mr. Szarek attacked what he
called “a crooked meeting” of
council and PUC that turned down
the proposal from Ontario Hydro to
reroute the power line up Dinsley
Street. The line from the Hydro
substation east of the village to the
Howson and Howson Mills, is on an
unregistered easement across the
Szarek property. Mr. Szarek has
asked the line be moved so he can
develop the building lots.
To have the line put on village
property Reeve Albert Wasson
estimated would mean new poles
having to be installed and trees
removed from the side of the
street. That was what Mr. Szarek
was unhappy about, regarding a
committee of the previous council.
He charged that by having two
“tree lovers” in the person of
Councillors William Manning and
Bev Elliott, the situation was
staked against the proposal.
But Reeve Wasson explained
that with two council members,
William Howson and Lloyd Sippel
being in possible conflict of interest
because they were employees of
Howson and Howson, and PUC
Chairman Jim Howson being in the
same situation, there weren’t many
options for people to sit on the
committee.
Later, as the Reeve tried to
explain to a group of bewildered
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